Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
146
are the same, namely, to see the child thoroughly healthy, with a good
digestion, a rising weight, and an ability to take a good and simple form
of food. Before taking her child home the mother is given practical
instruction in how to make and give the child's feeds and how to manage
it at home.
Those children included under the heading, "Malnutrition due to
Faulty Diet or Environment," are past the infant feeding stage. They
have been attending the Infant Welfare Clinics, but have not been making
the progress desired, for some time. A change to a better environment
does them an enormous amount of good. Very often it is found that they,
too, have impaired digestions from having been given wrong kinds of
food at home. They nearly all have suffered from deficient fresh air and
sunlight. Careful feeding has to be resorted to at first; afterwards, on a
liberal diet, they put on weight in a way that is truly astounding. A
striking change takes place in the vigour of the child and the tone of its
muscles. The temper, appetite and sleep all improve also. The first
change, however, and one of the most obvious, is in the colour, which
alters from a sickly pallor to a really healthy glow. The treatment given
in the Light Department is a great help in effecting these improvements,
especially in winter. Again, in dealing with these children, we try to
obtain a good nutrition, a good digestion, a rising weight, and a
thoroughly satisfactory state of health before we discharge them.
I append the results obtained in the Wards this year:—
Recovery | 34 |
Improvement | 2 |
Transferred to Hospital | 1 |
Removed by Parents | 1 |
38 |
The results seem gratifying:—
in Excellent Health and Condition | 10 |
In Good Health and Condition | 4 |
In Fair Health and Condition | 2 |
16 |